Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age

Part 4

Sera jolted out of her dream when she hit the tavern floor. The elf opened her eyes and met with Cullen's bewildered face.

"Some gentleman you are!" Sera growled and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

The Commander gave her an apologetic smile and offered his hand, "I'm sorry Sera. I didn't mean to drop you; are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she let Cullen drag her up to her feet "I'm still too plastered to notice pain; best hope I don't remember this when I wake up, I might want to retaliate."

He raised his eyebrows, "wait, you're intoxicated?"

"Well obviously, or I'll never let you carry me to my room now would I?" She stretched her arms and looked around the tavern. She noticed the sleeping males beneath one of the tables. Cullen was about to respond with another question when Sera interrupted him by laughing like a maniac. "I had totally forgottem about those two!"

"I must confess the sight of them caught me off guard." He studied Varric and Iron Bull sleeping together, the dwarf's right arm wrapped around Bull's shoulder.

"No wonder you dropped me," Sera snickered.

"What happened here?"

"This Commander! This is the latest victory of our dear Lady Inquisitor."

He furrowed his brow, "what do you mean?"

"Well, she might look like a proper lady and all, but she drinks like a sodding sailor she does," Sera grinned. "She outdid both Bull and Varric, and kept going after they passed out." She bounced over to the table. "You're not equipped with an inkpot are you?"

"Unfortunately I'm not," he said in a serious tone and crossed his arms. "What do you intend to do Sera?"

"Obviously," she started before she ran over to the fireplace to get some coal, "I can't let an opportunity like this one pass me by." She leapt back over and started doodling on Bull's face. When she finished the qunari's mustache, she turned on her heels and offered the piece of coal to the commander. "Would you like to join in?"

Cullen walked over and snatched the burnt wood out of her hand. Instead of following Sera's whim, the Commander walked back to the fireplace and tossed the lump of coal back in. "I think you've had enough fun for one night, it would be best if you go get some sleep."

"Well you're no fun, they would have done this to me if the situation was reversed," Sera pouted. She was about to walk upstairs to her room when she got a brilliant idea.

"You know Commander, Ev would have done it," she said cunningly.

"The leader of the Inquisition would draw mustaches on her men?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "It's good for morale to joke around. You should really try it!" she walked up next to him and picked up the coal piece and placed it in his hand. "Don't lie to me now. You've known Varric longer than anyone, you must have wanted to mess with him at one point?"

"Well…"

'Gotcha!'

"I do own him for exposing my lack of dance skills… though it wasn't exactly his fault, but…"

Sera couldn't believe she'd gotten the Commander interested. She would not let the opportunity to corrupt him slip through her grasp, "no buts! Just let your hand do the talking for you."

"You're a bad influence"

"Oh, I'm not a bad influence Commander," she gleamed, "but I can be very persuasive".

"That you are." He crouched next to Varric and started outline the dwarf's eyebrows. The finished result made the dwarf look both anxious and sad.

"Exceptional work Commander, I can feel a boost of morale just by looking at them. Maybe you should take the coal with you to the barracks, just imagine the whole friggin' army looking like that."

He scratched the back of his neck nervously, "please don't tell anyone that I did this."

"Don't worry, I'll take the blame for both of us," she slapped him reassuringly on the back. And she would, just having him do this was enough to last her a lifetime.

"I didn't understand it at first, but I can see why Evelyn likes you; you're not as stiff as I thought."

"She likes me?" he said unable to hide his joy. "What do you thi…"

"Yes!" Sera interrupted him, "by the Maker, just talk to her! There's a great big hole in the sky, you don't have time to diddle around…" She walked over to the staircase in the middle of the room and jumped up the two first steps, "I would wait 'til she sobers up though, she might want to remember the conversation."

She ran upstairs to her room before Cullen could form the many questions swarming through his mind. She was just too tired to be a third-party in their courtship.

Sera couldn't tell if she'd woken from her own snoring or the persistent knocking on the door. She laid flat on her stomach across the bed in her room. Her pillow was dripping in drool and the air filled with the sour stench of wine.

She tried to ignore the knocks and go back to sleep, but the person on the other side wouldn't go away. The elf finally gave in and rose from the bed, she flung open the door and was about to give the busybody a piece of her mind.

Sera met with nothingness, she was about to slam the door shut when someone uttered an 'ahem'.

"Down here."

The elf looked down and met Scout Harding's green eyes, "sorry there Harding, didn't notice you."

"Oh I'll take that as a compliment!" Harding grinned, "Do you mind if I intrude for a moment?" she lifted a plate in her hands, "I bring food, courtesy of Commander Cullen."

Sera gave the porridge a greedy look; she accepted the plate and let Scout Harding enter her room. The dwarf placed the dish the table while Sera opened the window to let some fresh air in. The elf seated herself next to the table and gestured for Harding to join her. She was about to dig in when she wrinkled her eyebrows and studied it warily.

"He didn't make it, did he?"

"You mean Commander Cullen? Don't worry, he had the cooks make it for you; he suspected you wouldn't be well enough to go to the kitchen on your own."

Sera shrugged her shoulders, "he's not wrong." She took a bite of the porridge. "It's good... but it needs a little sugar," she said between bites, "could you pass me some? It's in the cupboard next to you."

"Sure!" Harding said willingly, she passed her the jar and watched as the elf buried her porridge in it.

Sera took another bite and grimaced as soon as the porridge touched her tongue, "oh, that bitch!" she yelped.

"Who's a ...?"

"Evelyn of course, she filled my sugar jar with salt," she shook her head. "I feel a little proud really, my ways are rubbing off on her."

She ate another spoonful, she wrinkled her eyebrows, "I have to get back at her though."

"You don't have to eat that if you don't want it, I can go get you another bowl."

"No it's fine, salt's better for a hangover anyway…" She stood up, "but I need more air though. You're free to join me on the roof if you want," and jumped out the window.

"I'm no good with heights I'm afraid, but I won't mind sitting by the window."

"Please do, it's no fun eating alone." She took another bite, "have you seen Varric and Bull today?" she wondered.

"I've only seen Varric, he seemed a little… extra worried."

Sera snorted.

"I asked him if he was okay," Harding continued, "he said he was fine, though he seemed a little taken aback by my wondering. Guess he haven't seen himself in the mirror today." She grinned, "your work of doubt."

"I might have been a part of it," Sera boasted, "but I can't take full credit."

"Though you will if he asks?"

Sera winked, "of course, why would I let anyone in on my glory?" She smiled and took another bite of her porridge. She let her eyes wander across the courtyard and up the battlements. "Well would you look at that," she said after a minute of silence.

"Look at what?" Harding wanted to know.

The elf used her spoon to point in the direction of the Commander's office. "Seems like the lovebirds are enjoying a nice stroll together."

Harding rolled her eyes, "well that's about time."

They watched as one of Leliana's messengers interrupted the nice walk. Sera burst out in laughter, spitting porridge all over herself and the roof.

"I feel bad for them, really I do. With this pace, they'll resolve their relationship at Cullen's wedding with Dorian," Harding joked.

"You might be right," Sera laughed and wiped Porridge off her legs.

"What are you girls so happy about?" Varric shouted by the entrance to the tavern.

Sera pointed in the direction of the battlements they were observing. Varric turned and shielded his eyes from the sun, he was fortunate enough to catch the long-awaited kiss between the Inquisitor and the Commander.

"Well shit, looks like Curly finally grew some and took charge of the situation," the dwarf smiled, "good for him."

"You say you're happy for him, yet you look so worried," Sera said sheepishly, "why's that?"

The dwarf tossed his hands in the air in exasperation, "why do people keep asking me if I'm worried today? I'm just a little worn-out because we drank last night, it's no big deal… happens to the best of us."

"Maybe they're concerned that Bull took away your innocence last night?"

"Ha ha, very funny!" Varric scoffed, "Nothing happened, I just rubbed his back when he puked, and we both fell asleep like that, no big whoop."

A mustachioed Bull emerged from around the corner of the tavern. "What's no big whoop?" he inquired.

"That we fell asleep together," Varric was about to roll his eyes at him, but snickered when he noticed the qunari's new facial feature. He coughed into his hand, "you look… unusually refined today Bull," the dwarf joked.

"And you look worried," the qunari pointed at his forehead, "what's going on with your eyebrows?"

"There's nothing going on with my eyebrows," he rubbed them in irritation. "Seriously, what's up with you people today?" When he let his hand fall back down, he noticed a black smudge on it. He clenched his jaw, "Bull? Do I have something on my forehead?"

"Yes," the qunari laughed, "you have two worried eyebrows drawn on."

Varric used his sleeve to wipe his brows, "looks like coal." He glanced up at Sera, "you won't know anything about this, would you?"

Iron Bull placed a hand on top of Varric's head, "don't sound so harsh. It's all in good fun."

"Oh yeah? Wipe your upper lip would you?" Varric challenged.

Bull did as the dwarf requested, he gave Sera a stern look when he found traces of coal on the back of his hand.

"Now who's being harsh?" Varric joked, then he gave Sera a serious glare, "kid, I'll give you a five minutes head start. I'd suggest you hide before Bull and I equip ourselves with ink and coal."